OFFICIAL 2014 WDW Marathon Countdown: WE DID IT! Congrats everyone!

I got there with a group right around 9am. They let us all through the single rider line and we were allowed to get right on.

At the point where you're inside the mountain and transition from going backward to going forward again the ride stopped for about 30 seconds and I thought we were going to get stuck. That would have been a horrible/memorable way to get swept from the Dopey Challenge!

I must have been on the same ride or it happened more than once bc we got stuck too! The guy riding next to me and I joked that it would make a great story - marathoner doesn't finish because of stuck coaster!
 
I must have been on the same ride or it happened more than once bc we got stuck too! The guy riding next to me and I joked that it would make a great story - marathoner doesn't finish because of stuck coaster!

Ha! That might have been me! I was with a group of about 10 people but the woman next to me wasn't part of it. Were you wearing a black or dark colored shirt?
 
I ended up just being a spectator for both the half and full. My parents ran the half and I was trying to be at MK to see them. They were slower paced so I had some time, but the bus driver that picked us up from POR DIDN'T HAVE A CLUE. She said she had no idea there was a race going on and she didn't know where to take us. She didn't realize she wouldn't be able to take us to the regular MK bus stop. At one point we ended up at Cast Member Parking. I was sooooooooooo frustrated. We missed them at MK and then had tons of time to kill to see them at mile 13. I will say it was very moving, just as a spectator to cheer on all the runners. Watching so many people pursuing their goals was inspirational. I enjoyed cheering for everyone while waitin gfor my runners! For the marathon, transportation was better, but still bery slow as expected. We went to AK and stood outside to cheer and then to Epcot by France just past the 25 mile marker. My 5 year old son really got into it and stood by the CM and gave all the passing runners high fives. My sister was riunning the marathon and she was towards the end, about 20 minutes ahead of the balloon ladies.

How did the sweeping work exactly? At both the 13 mile and 25 mile mark there were tons of people behind the balloon ladies....
 
Wow! I can't believe it's only been one month since the Marathon/Dopey. It seems like much longer.

Living in OH where the temps of late have been below zero, single digits, and teens on the warmer days; my running has ground to a halt.

Man, what a great time we (the wife and I) had at DisneyWorld. I wish I was back there today! It was -6 when I came to work this morning! WHY AM I HERE?!?!

Oh well, looking forward to the Dumbo in August!
 


I've had some strange emotions since completing the marathon (my first) and I wonder if anyone else can relate.

The best way I think I can describe it is to say it was sort of anticlimactic. Right after it was over, I was elated and proud to walk around with my medal and tshirts. Seeing all of the Goofy and Dopey medals made me feel inferior at times, but I was able to remind myself that I did accomplish something huge and it would have been silly to try the Goofy or Dopey for my first time.

Now that I've been home and finally caught up with most of my friends, I feel like my accomplishment carries around with it a stigma (best word I could choose to explain it). It's sort of like being the skinniest person in the room full of overweight people. I'm not allowed to complain that I'm fat or that I'm tired, because everyone's reaction is always "please, you just ran a marathon." The truth is, I didn't think completing the marathon was that hard. I think anyone who put in the minimal amount of training could do it. I gained 10lbs during the training (and more since the race, ha) and it's not muscle! I really slacked off in training, eating and drinking way too much, skipping strength training, some of the maintenance runs, etc. I feel like I am in worse shape now than I was before I started the whole process.

I think that's really what has me down. When I signed up to do the marathon, I pictured myself standing at the finish line and being in the best shape of my life. I figured I would have to be in order to get to that point. I was clearly wrong.

Sorry for the long rant! I just want to vent to someone who might understand what I went through during this process! :goodvibes
 
I've had some strange emotions since completing the marathon (my first) and I wonder if anyone else can relate.

The best way I think I can describe it is to say it was sort of anticlimactic. Right after it was over, I was elated and proud to walk around with my medal and tshirts. Seeing all of the Goofy and Dopey medals made me feel inferior at times, but I was able to remind myself that I did accomplish something huge and it would have been silly to try the Goofy or Dopey for my first time.

Now that I've been home and finally caught up with most of my friends, I feel like my accomplishment carries around with it a stigma (best word I could choose to explain it). It's sort of like being the skinniest person in the room full of overweight people. I'm not allowed to complain that I'm fat or that I'm tired, because everyone's reaction is always "please, you just ran a marathon." The truth is, I didn't think completing the marathon was that hard. I think anyone who put in the minimal amount of training could do it. I gained 10lbs during the training (and more since the race, ha) and it's not muscle! I really slacked off in training, eating and drinking way too much, skipping strength training, some of the maintenance runs, etc. I feel like I am in worse shape now than I was before I started the whole process.

I think that's really what has me down. When I signed up to do the marathon, I pictured myself standing at the finish line and being in the best shape of my life. I figured I would have to be in order to get to that point. I was clearly wrong.

Sorry for the long rant! I just want to vent to someone who might understand what I went through during this process! :goodvibes

You know, I've had post-race letdown as well, so you have some company in that department. I've only run 2-3 times since the race (dealing with IT band issues) -- my running friends keep asking me what race is next, and I have no interest in signing up for anything even though the IT band is feeling better (although I was convinced to sign up for a Color Run this summer). I registered for the marathon last summer around the time my high school reunion plans for summer 2014 were announced, and like you, I thought this race would help me get to the next level of fitness. Nope -- I gained 5 pounds. I teach three dance fitness classes a week, ride the exercise bike on my off days, but just don't feel like doing anything more than the minimum. I'm hoping this fitness funk is connected to our lousy winter weather.
 
I've had some strange emotions since completing the marathon (my first) and I wonder if anyone else can relate.

The best way I think I can describe it is to say it was sort of anticlimactic. Right after it was over, I was elated and proud to walk around with my medal and tshirts. Seeing all of the Goofy and Dopey medals made me feel inferior at times, but I was able to remind myself that I did accomplish something huge and it would have been silly to try the Goofy or Dopey for my first time.

Now that I've been home and finally caught up with most of my friends, I feel like my accomplishment carries around with it a stigma (best word I could choose to explain it). It's sort of like being the skinniest person in the room full of overweight people. I'm not allowed to complain that I'm fat or that I'm tired, because everyone's reaction is always "please, you just ran a marathon." The truth is, I didn't think completing the marathon was that hard. I think anyone who put in the minimal amount of training could do it. I gained 10lbs during the training (and more since the race, ha) and it's not muscle! I really slacked off in training, eating and drinking way too much, skipping strength training, some of the maintenance runs, etc. I feel like I am in worse shape now than I was before I started the whole process.

I think that's really what has me down. When I signed up to do the marathon, I pictured myself standing at the finish line and being in the best shape of my life. I figured I would have to be in order to get to that point. I was clearly wrong.

Sorry for the long rant! I just want to vent to someone who might understand what I went through during this process! :goodvibes

Feeling some of the same things you mentioned. I've only run a few times since the marathon. But I really think this break is doing me some good. It is getting less likely I will be back in 2015. But I still want to try for Dopey, so perhaps in 2016.

Marathon training takes a lot of time. I feel I need to do some other things, do some other travel before I go back for Dopey. (Of course I reserve my right to change my mind!)

Strangely, even though the marathon was hard, I too sort of feel it wasn't THAT hard. Maybe that is selective forgetting...maybe I was just stronger this year. Maybe it was my strategy of taking it slow and taking pics. I definitely wasn't pushing for a particular time goal.

And despite not training now like we did before the marathon, we still have a good fitness base. And there is a picture some of us have in our minds about what fitness is. I still don't see myself there either. But I have to know that I am stronger and in better health then before I started the process. I think others see it more than I do.

For me I am just trying to relax and go with the flow of things. I know when the temp starts climbing and the snow melts, I will get back into the usual routine again.
 


I think one of the biggest issues with training for a marathon is that people can gain weight if they don't control their diet. Although you do burn an awful lot of calories running, you can use those calories up very quickly. For example, if you burn 500 calories running 5 miles, those are pretty much gone if you come back and eat a stack of pancakes with syrup on them. Let's not forget that if you had a bottle of gatorade after the run and maybe a protein bar too, you have now exceeded the calories you just burned off. I used to think that I could eat anything I wanted after running. I thought, Heck, I just ran 10 miles, I'm able to go out to dinner and eat whatever I want and have a few beers because I earned it. NOT! I started to count calories using an app called myfitnesspal. That was a real eye opener.

The other problem that I think is pretty common for beginner runners (and I include myself in this category too as completing the marathon in Disney as part of Dopey was my first marathon) is getting back to the training routine. That is why I signed up for another marathon to run in May. I have to admit, with it being in the early stages of training, I'm finding it difficult to get motivated on these cold days. In the past 2 weeks, I've done much better and have stuck to my plan, but those few weeks after Disney were very tough. I noticed that for me, if I don't have that race out there to train for, it's very tough to stick to a running plan. It's very easy to say, "it's cold outside and I don't feel like running today". My suggestion is to sign up for something to keep you motivated. It doesn't have to be a marathon or even a half marathon. Sign up for a couple of 5k's or 10k's. That will keep you motivated to stay in shape or to even get into better shape. Good luck!
 
I got there with a group right around 9am. They let us all through the single rider line and we were allowed to get right on.

At the point where you're inside the mountain and transition from going backward to going forward again the ride stopped for about 30 seconds and I thought we were going to get stuck. That would have been a horrible/memorable way to get swept from the Dopey Challenge!

I may or may not have been part of that group.... :rotfl2:

:thumbsup2

Amanda
 
You know, I've had post-race letdown as well, so you have some company in that department. I've only run 2-3 times since the race (dealing with IT band issues) -- my running friends keep asking me what race is next, and I have no interest in signing up for anything even though the IT band is feeling better (although I was convinced to sign up for a Color Run this summer). I registered for the marathon last summer around the time my high school reunion plans for summer 2014 were announced, and like you, I thought this race would help me get to the next level of fitness. Nope -- I gained 5 pounds. I teach three dance fitness classes a week, ride the exercise bike on my off days, but just don't feel like doing anything more than the minimum. I'm hoping this fitness funk is connected to our lousy winter weather.

Feeling some of the same things you mentioned. I've only run a few times since the marathon. But I really think this break is doing me some good. It is getting less likely I will be back in 2015. But I still want to try for Dopey, so perhaps in 2016.

Marathon training takes a lot of time. I feel I need to do some other things, do some other travel before I go back for Dopey. (Of course I reserve my right to change my mind!)

Strangely, even though the marathon was hard, I too sort of feel it wasn't THAT hard. Maybe that is selective forgetting...maybe I was just stronger this year. Maybe it was my strategy of taking it slow and taking pics. I definitely wasn't pushing for a particular time goal.

And despite not training now like we did before the marathon, we still have a good fitness base. And there is a picture some of us have in our minds about what fitness is. I still don't see myself there either. But I have to know that I am stronger and in better health then before I started the process. I think others see it more than I do.

For me I am just trying to relax and go with the flow of things. I know when the temp starts climbing and the snow melts, I will get back into the usual routine again.

I think one of the biggest issues with training for a marathon is that people can gain weight if they don't control their diet. Although you do burn an awful lot of calories running, you can use those calories up very quickly. For example, if you burn 500 calories running 5 miles, those are pretty much gone if you come back and eat a stack of pancakes with syrup on them. Let's not forget that if you had a bottle of gatorade after the run and maybe a protein bar too, you have now exceeded the calories you just burned off. I used to think that I could eat anything I wanted after running. I thought, Heck, I just ran 10 miles, I'm able to go out to dinner and eat whatever I want and have a few beers because I earned it. NOT! I started to count calories using an app called myfitnesspal. That was a real eye opener.

The other problem that I think is pretty common for beginner runners (and I include myself in this category too as completing the marathon in Disney as part of Dopey was my first marathon) is getting back to the training routine. That is why I signed up for another marathon to run in May. I have to admit, with it being in the early stages of training, I'm finding it difficult to get motivated on these cold days. In the past 2 weeks, I've done much better and have stuck to my plan, but those few weeks after Disney were very tough. I noticed that for me, if I don't have that race out there to train for, it's very tough to stick to a running plan. It's very easy to say, "it's cold outside and I don't feel like running today". My suggestion is to sign up for something to keep you motivated. It doesn't have to be a marathon or even a half marathon. Sign up for a couple of 5k's or 10k's. That will keep you motivated to stay in shape or to even get into better shape. Good luck!

I'm glad I am not the only that feels this way! :grouphug:

I do have a ton of races scheduled this year, so I do have motivation to run. It would be better though if I could run outside instead of the gym. I would probably run a little more often and longer.

Good luck to everyone with getting back into the swing of things!
 
Does anyone know if the Dopey Challenge is going to sell out as fast (or even faster) than the 2014 Dumbo Dare??

Seriously can't wait for this to open up....
 
Great race report - loved it! Congratulations on your first marathon!!! I'm still trying to figure out how to cut and paste unpurchased race photos with the "proof" across them. Any tips?

You can use IE and go into the temporary internet folder. Have it look for just the jpg files and sort them from newest to oldest. Pull up the biggest picture that you want on Marathon Photo and then go back to the temp folder and it should be the newest jpg listed.

I saved all of mine this way from marathon weekend.
 
Just found an easier way in Chrome. There is an Image Downloader extension they you can get from the Chrome store and it will download and save it for you.
 
Question for Coach Walt and other finishers -
Throughout my marathon training, my weekday runs (3 miles) were consistently around 12:20-12:30/mi. I took about 6 weeks off running after the marathon and ever since then, I haven't been able to consistently hit my usual paces. I've been doing my short runs only hitting marathon pace (13:30-14:00), yet I'm just as tired and out of breath. It's really discouraging me from running right now.

What could be the culprit? Did I really lose that much conditioning over 6 weeks?
 
Question for Coach Walt and other finishers -
Throughout my marathon training, my weekday runs (3 miles) were consistently around 12:20-12:30/mi. I took about 6 weeks off running after the marathon and ever since then, I haven't been able to consistently hit my usual paces. I've been doing my short runs only hitting marathon pace (13:30-14:00), yet I'm just as tired and out of breath. It's really discouraging me from running right now.

What could be the culprit? Did I really lose that much conditioning over 6 weeks?

I had a similar problem, although mine actually started before the marathon. I realized I was training at race pace, so slowed down during all my runs. I had a hard time going faster after that, even during the race.

I think what helped me was doing some speed work on the treadmill. I gradually increased the speed until it was almost too hard to finish my interval, then I backed it down. It got me used to running a little faster and I just naturally sped up my pace during regular training runs.
 

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